This is a versatile basic green tomatillo salsa. It can be drizzled on top of Mexican Antojos, such as Tostadas, Tacos, Quesadillas and Sopes… It can also be used to make Green Enchiladas or Chilaquiles. It can be spooned on top of eggs in the morning, used as a side garnish to grilled meats and as the seasoning to bake some fresh flaky fish in the oven. I could go on and on though…. here it goes:

Place the tomatillos along with the garlic cloves and the chiles serrranos in a pot and cover with water. Place over high heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer at medium for about 10 minutes, or until tomatillos change their color from a bright to a pale green, are cooked through and are soft but are not coming apart.

Place tomatillos, garlic and chile (you may add one chile first) and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in the blender and puree until smooth. Incorporate the cilantro leaves, onion and salt and process again. Taste for salt and add more if need be. Also taste for heat, you may add the other chile in pieces until you reach your desired heat level.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Once it is hot but not smoking, pour in the sauce and bring it to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes, until it thickens a bit and deepens its flavor and color. Turn off the heat.

Once it cools down, you may store it in a closed container in the refrigerator for weeks. However, the heat level of the sauce will diminish as the days go by.

I am so happy to have stumbled upon your blog. I have been relentlessly searching the internet for the kind of salsa verde that I have grown up with here in Texas. Your recipe is exactly what I have been looking for.
I am also enjoying your other entries. Thank you!

I am so glad that I have found you on TV. Thank you for the green salsa receipe. I tried it, and it came out so delicious. I made the salsa with pork chops (chopped in small pieces) and my husband loved it. Great and easy receipe!
Pati, can you give me some receipes from the state of Zacatecas. Mainly from a little town called Juchipila. I am interested because that is where my mother and father were born and raised. I am sorry to say that I never learned to cook like my mother, and now she is gone and I will never have a chance to learn. Can you help me?
Mary

Hey Mary,
I’m so glad you found me too! Of course I’ll give you recipes from Zacatecas! My family and I were just there, and I just love the food from there too. And I will try to post some recipes from there, meanwhile, you can look for recipes in Los Sabores de la Tierra. It’s a book in Spanish that focuses on the food from Zacatecas- I hope you enjoy it. I really fell in love with that place, its people, and most of all, its food!

Hi Alicia, when you buy tomatillos they should be firm with a shiny, deep green color (once you wash off their wax). And they should give you salsa a tangy flavor, without being bitter! I don’t believe you are overcooking them, it may have just been that batch of tomatillos.

I was in a mexican restaurant that served “hot sauce” with the meal. This came in a small jar. I have been trying to make my own. I am using roasted poblanos, tomatos, onion, garlic and peppers…all blended in a food processor. It is thicker than the sauce at the restaurant. Otherwise quite good! Any suggestions?

Hola, Martha,
The secret I have found to ensuring that your salsa verde does not become bitter is to prevent the tomatillo seeds from being broken or blended. If you use a blender, just give it a quick whirl but don’t blend it to death.
Maybe Pati can comment? Gracias para tu blog, Pati! Me gusta

Hi Katey, Hi Martha, I’ve found that it mostly depends on the tomatillos themselves. If they are ripe, shinny, green they are deliciously tart but not bitter. If you have tomatillos that are on the yellow side, are old, over ripe, wrinkled… salsa will be bitter ; )

Hola Pati
I had a queston about your Cooked Salsa Verde: Why you use 2 T of oil? Yes, I know that the oil give anything more of a sheen. But in these days of trying to use less fat in our diets. Is the oil optional? Gracias, John

Hola John, Thank you for your question. The oil seasons the sauce and adds to the overall flavor. Actually, safflower oil is “good” fat and very healthy. It is sourced from a plant and not manipulated into hydrogenated bad fats like other commonly used oils. So, if you want to keep the oil in the recipe it will be still be healthy. If you do not want to use any oil, it can be optional. The salsa may just taste a little different than the original recipe. I hope this helps!

I love your blog! My family is from Guadalajara so I’ve inherited the delicious culinary cuisine from that region. But I love that your blog introduces me to other amazing recipes. For example, I had never heard of anyone cooking their salsa verde. But the results are delicious! Be assured that I will be calling my mom today to discuss your salsa verde recipe. You may have just added to our family’s repertoire.

A friend gave me your website and I’m glad she did. I planted 5 Tomatillo plants this year and they have grown much lager than advertised. I have tomatillos coming out of my ears. Thank goodness for your recipes. I will be trying your jam and Salsa Verde recipe’s this weekend.

Pati,
I am so happy that I found this site! I have been wondering what to do with my tomatillos and this weekend I may try the salsa verde (but I am really looking forward to the pozole verde). Anyway, my question is this…can I freeze the salsa verde freeze? Or maybe can/jar it?
Thank you!

Hola Patti,
I Went looking for a good salsa verde recipe and this one looks great. I love Patti’s Mexican Kitchen on PBS it provides lots of inspiration for my own kitchen. Jicama slaw for fish tacos is next… Thanks for the inspiration

Hola Pati;
I was just reading comments and posts on this site. I was wondering about the Salsa Verde if it can be canned (as in preserved through processing like pressure cooking)?
We have a garden every year. Once we planted some Tomatillos and they come up every year after. So last year we had an over abundance of them. I tried making the salsa and canning it but it turned a very dark color. Can you help me with this? What am I doing wrong? Is it the high pressure that is causing it to discolor? Also I love your show. When my Husband and I watch you make something delicious we go to your site and print off the recipes so we can make them. Thanks so much for all your help.
Lynda

Hola Lynda, Yes! You can can salsa verde. I am wondering about the darkening of the salsa, did it taste the same?
Thanks for watching the show and nothing makes me happier than my recipes being used and enjoyed!

Hi Pati, I have made this salsa for many years and have enjoyed it. Sometimes when I make crispy tacos I add avocado to this salsa and I get a delicious salsa that goes good with antojitos such as nachos, tacos, and the such. Thank you for the wonderful recipes that you share with us, your audience, because in doing so we are able to preserve our culture and heritage.

Hi Party,
I watch you all the time and love your show. I was wondering if you have a cooked salsa recipe using dried red peppers, jalapeno, tomatoes, green tomatoes, onions. My favorite salsa is at this little Mexican restaurant. They told me these are the ingredients to their salsa, but I tried duplicating it without success. Can you help?
Thanks!

I love your show. My father-in-law went hunting for Corsican Ram and gave us a lot of wild mutton. I thought of Mexican right away and went to your site for ideas and used the idea of carnitas. But, I braised it a lot longer and used olive oil because the meat is so lean. It is delicious! and I served it with salsa verde, and roasted the ingredients like your sister prefers as was demonstrated on the breakfast episode. The guide said it was not worth eating unless it was prepared correctly. Well, it was prepared correctly using your recipes.

Love this recipe! I’ve made it 3 times. My only problem is that the last 2 batches had some bitterness. Does you have any idea where that could be coming from? I thought maybe I had some unripe tomatillos? Thanks for any help.

Hi Cathy! So happy you are using this recipe!! It’s probably the batch of tomatillos. They should be firm with a shiny, deep green color (once you wash off their wax) and shouldn’t be wrinkled or squishy. Don’t be shy about peeking under their husks at the store.

This recipe is very similar to one taught to me by a Mexican friend. She always uses a little Knorr caldo de pollo for seasoning. My tomatillo plants are very prolific, but this recipe freezes beautifully. I can usually make enough to have all winter and to give to friends. Delicious on almost everything.

I have a question do you have a recipe birdie de chivo my husband was from jalisco and would like a recipe for that if you can help. I would love it a lot. Even from gto, nayrit. I don’t want to over whelm you. Thanks